Sole pressing pad



June 1,1937. F, R MERRITT 2,082,073

SOLE PRESSING PAD Filed July 29, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet l F. R. MERRITTSOLE PRESSING PAD Filed July 29, 1935 June 1, 1937. 4

5 Sheets-Sheet 2 June 1, 1937. F. R. MERRITT 2,082,073

I SOLE PRESSING PAD Filed July 29, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented JuneI, I937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SOLE PRESS'ING PAD Application July29, 1935, Serial No. 33,672

17 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in pads for use in applyingpressure to shoe bottoms and is illustrated herein as embodied in padsparticularly adapted for applying leveling pressure to the outsoles ofshoes.

In leveling shoe bottoms it is important that the leveling pressure beapplied in such a Way as to smooth out and remove irregularities of theoutsole without reproducing on the tread surface of the outsoleirregularities on the surface against which the outsole is laid.Moreover, in shoes having their outsoles attached by stitches, theleveling pressure should be such that it will flatten down the bunchescaused by the sole-attaching stitches without wrapping the sole marginstoo closely around the shoe upper.

Attempts have been made at various times to apply direct sole-levelingpressure to shoe bottoms utilizing as a pressing member a resilient padcomposed of rubber or some composition thereof the shoe-engaging surfaceof which is capable of yielding under pressure. These attempts have notbeen successful for the reason that resilient yieldable material such asrubber n its natural condition is not adapted to produce the desiredresults and tends to accentuate the irregularities rather than reducethem. Moreover, when sufficient pressure is applied to the shoe toeffect a proper leveling operation under normal conditions, a rubber padof the type re- 'ferred to'will tend to wrap the margins of the outsoletoo closely against the shoe upper and thus produce a round bottom shoe.

Objects of the present invention are to provide improved pad structurescapable of use in applying direct leveling pressure to shoe bottoms andwhich will level outsoles without producing the defects referred toabove.

In accordance with one feature of the invention there is provided asolid pad member of relatively resilient material having a hardshoe-engaging surface or wall which is capable of flexing somewhat underpressure but which is substantially non-compressible. The shoe-engagingwall, as herein illustrated, is supported by relatively resl entmaterial integral therewith and capable of yielding substantially underpressure. Accordingly, when a shoe is pressedagainst the shoe-engagingwall the shoe cannot sink into it to cause the outsole to be pressedforcibly against hollows or irregularities which may be present on theshoe bottom and thereby reproduce such irregularities on the bottomsurface of the sole. The yieldable material supporting the shoe-engagingwall, however, may be compressed and will thus permit the wall to bebent into general conformity with the shoe bottom. As the levelingpressure increases the hard surface of the pad will level or smooth outthe high spots on the sole without applying any pressure to the lowplaces, there- 'by leveling the sole in the proper manner.

In order to assist the hard shoe-engaging wall to conform to the shapeof the bottom of a shoe pressed thereon the portion of the yieldableresilient material supporting the marginal portion of this wall ispreferably harder than the portion supporting it inwardly of saidmarginal portion, this marginal material, however, being softer than theshoe-engaging wall. To facilitate the yielding action of these differentsupporting materials they are separated for a greater part of theirthickness by a groove which, as herein illustrated, extends around themarginal portionof the pad and approximates in shape the periphery ofthe largest shoe which is to be operated upon. Since the pad is adaptedto operate on shoes of different styles and having different toe springsand heel heights, it is also provided with a transverse groove arrangedto underlie the ball line of a shoe operatively positioned thereon andacting to facilitate angular adjustment of the forepart of the padrelatively to its rear portion.

The invention also includes, in accordance with another of its features,a modified form of soleleveling pad similar in many respects to thatdescribed above but having a shoe-engaging wall composed of a hardrelatively non-compressible outer layer and a thicker and somewhatyielding inner layer of resilient material, this wall being supportedinwardly of its margin by still s :fter resilient material integraltherewith and by relatively hard resilient material at said margin.Preferably the outer surface of the shoe-engaging wall is covered by athin layer of flexible material such 'as leather which provides a goodsurface for engaging the outsole and tends to prevent marking of theoutsole.

The invention also provides, in accordance with still another feature, asole-leveling pad more particularly adapted for operating on shoeshaving toe springs the angles of which are relatively great, this pad,as illustrated herein, having a relatively hard shoe-engaging surfaceand being provided with longitudinal grooves located be tween softresilient material supporting its shoeengaging wall inwardly of itsmargins and harder resilient material supporting said margins, thegrooves terminating at a transverse groove coinciding substantially withthe tip line of a'shoe operatively positioned on the pad. Forwardly ofthe tip line, the shoe-engaging wall of the pad is supported by twocontinuous layers of resilient material integral with each other anddiffering considerably in hardness, thereby permitting the toe portionof the shoe-engaging wall to conform itself readily to the shape of theshoe bottom without sufficient bending to cause cracking. The pad isalso provided with a transverse groove arranged to underlie the ballline of a shoe operatively positioned thereon to permit the pad to bendinto closer conformity with the longitudinal contour of a shoe theforepart of which is located at a relatively steep angle with respect toits shank and heel portion.

With the above and other objects and features in view the invention willnow be described in connection with the accompanying drawings andpointed out in the claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the upper portion of a sole-layingmachine in which the pad of the present invention is utilized;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the sole-leveling pad;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the pad with a portion broken away;

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view on an enlarged scale taken throughthe shank portion of the pad on the line IVIV of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional View through the shank portion of amodified form of pad;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view through the forepart of a shoeprior to the sole-leveling operation;

Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional view through the forepart of the padillustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 showing the shoe under sole-levelingpressure, the section being taken on the line VIIVII of Fig. 3;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of another modified form of sole-leveling pad;

Fig. 9 is a side elevation partly in section of the pad of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a transverse sectional view on an enlarged scale through theshank portion of the pad, the section being taken on the line X-X ofFig. 9; and

Fig. 11 is a transverse sectional view of the pad on the line X[-XI ofFig. 9 showing the shoe under sole-leveling pressure.

The illustrated pad is constructed and arranged to apply directsole-leveling pressure substantially simultaneously to an entire shoebottom and is particularly adapted for use in a solelaying machine ofthe type disclosed in Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,549,243,granted August 11, 1925 upon an application filed in the name of ErastusE. Winkley.

As illustrated in the patent referred to the sole-laying machine isprovided with shoe-engaging abutments 20, 22 for engaging lasted shoesand pressing them. against pad members mounted in pad boxes 24 carriedby the machine and arranged to be moved alternately toward the abutmentsto bring the shoes into engagement therewith and to cause the soles ofthe shoes to be pressed against the shoe bottoms. The pad boxes 24 asherein illustrated are of the type disclosed in Letters Patent of theUnited States No. 2,047,185, granted July 14, 1936, in the names ofMilton H. Ballard et al., each pad box being provided with means foradjusting the forepart section of the pad relatively to its rear portionto adapt it for operating upon shoes having different heights of heels.Since the soles are attached to the shoes before the leveling operationis performed, the sole and shoe-positioning mechanism disclosed in theBallard patent is omitted.

Each pad box 24 is provided with a lower or supporting pad member 26which fills the greater part of the box and is preferably composed ofrelatively firm but resilient rubber as disclosed, for example, inLetters Patent of the United States, No. 2,017,982, granted October 22,1935, on my application. Resting on top of the pads 26 are pad members28 which are especially constructed for applying sole-leveling pressuredirectly to the bottom of a shoe mounted thereon. One of thesesole-leveling pads will now be described in detail.

The shoe-engaging surface 30 of the pad 28, as illustrated in Fig. 3, isshaped initially to conform substantially to the longitudinal andtransverse curvatures of the bottom of a womans shoe which is to have aheel of medium height. The toe portion of this surface is nearlyparallel to the lower surface of the pad and the shank portion is formedwith a substantial bulge having a central hollow or depression (Fig. 4)for engaging the shank portion of a shoe, this portion preferably beingshaped to engage the margins of the outsole before contacting with itsintramarginal portion. The heel portion of the surface 30 is relativelyflat and slopes rearwardly toward the lower surface of the pad, as shownin Fig. 3. The surface 30 forms the upper side of a shoe-engaging wall32 the construction of which is best shown in Fig. 4. As illustrated,the wall 32 comprises a plurality of layers of flexible materials formedintegrally with lower portions of the pad and extending across theentire width thereof. The top layer of the shoe-engaging wall 32comprises a relatively thin layer 34 of resilient material such asrubber having a durometer reading of about 95 to 100 so that it isrelatively hard and non-compressible but is capable of flexing somewhatwithout cracking under pressure, this material being commonly referredto as ebonite. The next layer of the wall 32 comprises a sheet of fabricmaterial 36 such, for example, as open weave duck, this layer beinginitially cemented to the hard layer 34 and having cement on its lowerside whereby a second layer 38 of hard rubber or ebonite of the samedurometer reading as the layer 34 is secured thereto. Below the hardlayer 38 is another layer 40 of fabric the under side of which iscemented to the body portion of the pad.

The portion of the pad which supports the shoe-engaging wall 32 iscomprised of two different grades of resilient material such as rubberwhich differ considerably in degree of hardness, these materials beingvulcanized to each other and to the wall 32 in a mold designed for thatpurpose. The material which supports the central portion of theshoe-engaging wall is composed of relatively soft rubber 42 having adurometer reading of between and which permits this material to compressreadily under pressure and to yield a substantial amount. The materialsupporting the marginal portion of the shoeengaging wall comprises arubber composition 44 somewhat harder than the rubber inwardly of saidmargin and reinforced by a multiplicity of small pieces or scraps ofcanvas or similar fabric material. This material may be a well-knownrubber product called ground deckle strap friction and having adurometer reading of between 55 and 60 so that it is considerably harderand less yielding than the rubber 42 supporting the central portion ofthe wall 32 but is not as hard as the ebonite layers 34, 38 of theshoe-engaging wall. Accordingly, when substantial pressure is applied toa shoe mounted on the-pad, the soft rubber 42 inwardly of the margins ofthe shoeengaging wall 32 will yield more readily than the material 44supporting its margins thereby causing the wall to be readily conformedto the shape of the shoe bottom, the wall being flexible enough topermit such action. Since the surface 30 is relatively unyielding andnon-compressible, the bottom of the shoe cannot sink into it to causethe material of the wall 32 to embed itself in any irregularities whichmay be present on the bottom surface of the outsole. Moreover, since therelatively hard material 44 supports the margins of the shoe-engagingwall more firmly than the soft material 42 supports the central portionof the wall and thus prevents these margins from being depressed as muchas said central portion, the marginal portions of the outsole willreceive as much leveling pressure as the central portion thereof withoutcausing said marginal portions to be wrapped too closely around the shoeupper. The shoe-engaging surface of the wall will thus have a levelingorironing effect upon the bottom surface of the outsole which tends tolevel any projections or bunches, such, for example, as those whichmight be caused by the filling material in a shoe bottom or by thestitches whichsecure the outsole to the insole and upper. To state theoperation in another way, the construction of the sole-engaging wall 32and the arrangement of the soft rubber andharder rubber supporting thedifferent portions of this wall are such that while the wall can bend orflex a limited amount under pressure without cracking and can thusconform to the shape of the bottom of a shoe pressed thereon, it cannotbe compressed and, consequently, when the more yieldable materialssupporting the central and marginal portions of the wall yield under thesole-leveling pressure, the wall will first conform generally to thelongitudinal and transverse curvatures of the shoe bottom and then, asthe pressure increases, will tend to level or smooth out anyirregularities on the bottom surface of the outsole.

In order that the leveling action on the sole may take place morereadily, the yieldable material 42 is separated from the harder rubbercomposition 44 by a relatively deep groove 46 which conformsapproximately in outline to the periphery of a shoe bottom except thatit is preferably larger than a shoe. When the soft rubber 42 at thecentral portion of the pad is compressed under the pressure of thesole-laying machine there will not be an excessive thickness of rubberconnecting the soft material 42 to the harder marginal material 44 sothat the compressing action of these materials is facilitated and theconformation of the shore-engaging wall 32 to the shoe bottom iseffected without detracting any from its leveling action. As illustratedin Figs. 2 and .3, the forward end of the groove 46 is intersected byrelatively shallow outwardly diverging grooves 48 which have no specialsignificance so far as the operation of the pad is concerned and resultmerely from the presence of supporting members of the grid used in themold in which the pad is made. The heel end of the pad also has'ashallow transverse groove 50 resulting from a supporting member in themold.

Since the pad 28 is arranged to operated on shoes which may vary widelyin shape in their shank portions it is also provided on its lower sidewith a transverse groove 52 of less depth than the groove 46, thisgroove being arranged to lie substantially under the ball line of a shoeoperatively positioned on the pad. The transverse groove 52 facilitatesthe initial adjustment of the shoe-engaging surface 30 into substantialconformity to the longitudinal contour of a shoe bottom.

Figs. 6 and 7 illustrate respectively how ashoe A having its outsoleattached by through-andthrough stitches 54, illustrated as lockstitches,will appear before and after the sole-leveling operation is performed,Fig. 6 being drawn on an enlarged scale to accentuate the irregularitieswhich might exist on the bottom surface of an outsole 56 after it isstitched to the shoe. As illustrated in Fig. 6, the central portion ofthe outsole may have irregularities 58 in its bottom surface caused, forexample, by filler material 60 or by the unevenness of the stock fromwhich the outsole was made. The stitches 54, which are covered only by athin channel flap or leaf 62, would also tend to produce humps or bulgessimilar to that shown at 64. Fig. 7 illustrates the same shoe underleveling pressure and shows how the bulge 64 and the irregularities 58of Fig. 6 are pressed out and leveled by the pressure of theshoe-engaging wall 32. Fig. 7 is a section taken through the forepart ofthe pad and consequently the various layers of the materials which makeup the pad 28 are shown considerably thinner than they would appear atthe shank portion of the pad. The leveling action of the wall 32,however, and the compression of the supporting materials 42 and 44 atthe shank and heel portions of the pad will be substantially the same asshown in Fig. 7.

If it should be desired to cause the margins of the outsole to bepressed closer than usual against the shoe upper, the pad may, ifdesired, be provided with a thin readily removable layer 66 ofrelatively soft rubber as disclosed in the patent referred to above,thereby permitting the shoe to sink farther into the pad without the useof excessive pressure.

Fig. 5 illustrates another type of 'pad 68 for use in-applying directleveling pressure to the bottoms of shoes, this pad being similar inmany respects to the pad 28 but differing in the construction of itssole-engaging wall 10. The soleengaging wall 10 of the pad comprises arelatively thin flexible layer 12 of leather such, for example, aspigskin, for engaging the shoe bottom, this layer being cemented to aslightly thicker layer 14 of hard rubber or ebonite having a durometerreading'of about to The ebonite layer 14 is relatively non-compressiblebut is capable of flexing somewhat without cracking under pressure such,for example, as'the direct pressure applied by the sole-laying machine.Underlying the layer 14 is a somewhat thicker integral layer 16 ofsofter rubber material having a durometer reading of from about 55 to 60and consequently being more yieldable than the layer 14. -These threelayers constitute the shoeengaging wall 10 and are supported byrelatively soft rubber l8 inwardly of the margin of said wall, this softrubber conforming approximately in outline to the periphery of thelargest shoe which is to be operated upon. The marginal portion of thewall 10 is supported by rubber composition 80 such as the ground decklestrap friction referred to above, this material, as stated, being fairlyhard but being capable of yielding a limited amount under sufficientpressure. .The'

two supporting materials are separated by grooves 82 extendinglongitudinally of the pad 'and being joined at the toe end by a curvedgroove, these grooves facilitating the compressing action of thesupporting materials. A relatively thin readily removable layer 66 mayalso be provided for operating upon shoes the outsoles of which are tobe wrapped fairly closely around the shoe uppers. In use the pad 68tends to level and iron out any irregularities on the bottom of theoutsole in a manner similar to that in which the pad 28 operates, theouter leather layer 12 preventing scarring or marking of the outsole butnot interfering with the leveling action of the hard layer 14.

Figs. 8 to 11, inclusive, illustrate still another type of pad for usein applying direct sole-leveling pressure simultaneously to all parts ofa shoe bottom. As illustrated in Fig. 8, the pad 84 is similar to thepad 28 and is provided with a shoeengaging wall 86 the outer surface ofwhich conforms substantially to the longitudinal contour of a shoebottom, the wall being composed of a plurality of layers which differconsiderably in hardness. An outer layer 88 of the sole-engaging wallcomprises a thin layer of fairly hard rubber material having a durometerreading of from to Underlying the thin rubber layer 88 is a relativelythick layer 98 of softer rubber having a durometer reading of between 55and 60. Integral with and supporting the central portion of the layer 98of the shoe-engaging wall is softer rubber material 92 having adurometer reading of from about 35 to 40, this material conformingapproximately in outline to the periphery of a shoe bottom as farforwardly as the tip line of a shoe operatively positioned on the pad.Forwardly of the tip line the soft material 92 extends across the fullwidth of the pad to form a continuous layer 94 which is considerablythinner than the material 92 rearwardly of the tip line, as shown inFig. 9. Underlying the layer 9:? is another continuous layer 96 ofrubber composition or ground deckle strap friction having a durometerreading of about 55 to 60 this layer likewise extending across the fullwidth of the pad forwardly of the tip line. The marginal portions of theshoe-engaging wall 86 rearwardly of said tip line are supported byground deckle strap friction 98 which is separatedfrom the soft innermaterial 92 by arelatively deep groove I88. As shown in Fig. 8, thegroove I88 resembles in outline the periphery of the rear portion of thelargest shoe to be operated upon and terminates substantially at the tipline. Extending transversely of the pad at the tip line is a relativelyshallow groove I82 separating the hard layer 96 from the soft materialwhich supports the wall rearwardly of the tip line. Another transversegroove IE4 is formed substantially under the ball line of a shoeoperatively positioned on the pad and a thin readily detachable layerI96 is provided, as described above, for permitting the shoe to sinkfarther into the pad without the use of excessive pressure whenoperating on round bottom shoes, the layer 86, as shown in Fig. 9,extending only to the transverse groove [02 at the tip line.

In applying direct sole-leveling pressure to the bottom of the shoe Athe pad 86- ope-rates in much the same manner as the pads describedabove. When pressure; is applied to the shoe bottom the relatively hardnon-compressible layer 88 will bend or flex sufiiciently to conformitself substantially to the curvature of the shoe bottom without fillingin any depressions or hollows that may exist in the outsole 56. As thepressure increases the layer of soft rubber will permit a limited amountof compression to take place over the entire shoe bottom therebyfacilitating the conformation of the hard layer 88 to the shape of theoutsole. The thick rubber material 92 supporting the central portion ofthe shoeengaging wall rearwardly of its tip line permits the heel, shankand part of the toe portion of the shoe to sink a substantial distanceinto the pad without compressing the wall 86. Forwardly of the tip linethe shoe cannot sink so far into the pad owing to the hard layer 96which cannot be compressed as much as the soft material 92. Thetransverse slot H32 at the tip line permits the pad to bend upwardlyunder pressure to insure that the wall 86 will engage and press againstthe shoe bottom forwardly of said tip line. This construction permitssole-leveling pressure to be applied to the toe end of the shoe bottomwithout exerting sufiicient pressure to force the shoe against theshoe-engaging wall a distance great enough to cause the outer layer ofthe shoe-engaging wall to crack. It has been found in operation that thepad 84 is very successful in leveling shoe bottoms the angles or toesprings of the foreparts of which are relatively great. The transversegroove [04 at the ball line permits the forepart of the pad to beadjusted angularly with respect to its rear portion as explained above.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A pad for use in applying pressure to shoe bottoms having a hard butrelatively flexible shoe-engaging surface supported at differentportions by resilient material integral with such portions, the yieldingcapacity of the material supporting each of said portions beingdifferent from that of the material supporting other portions.

2. A pad for use in applying pressure to shoe bottoms comprising amember having a hard but somewhat flexible shoe-engaging wall supportedat its marginal portion by integral resilient material which is softerthan said wall and supported inwardly of said marginal portion by stillsofter resilient material.

3. A pad for use in applying pressure to shoe bottoms having arelatively hard shoe-engaging surface capable of flexing somewhat underpressure supported by resilient material integral with said surface andcapable of yielding considerably under pressure, and a groove in saidresilient material approximating in outline the periphery of the largestshoe which is to be operated upon.

4. A pad for use in applying pressure to shoe bottoms having a hard,relatively non-compressible shoe-engaging wall capable of bendingwithout cracking under pressure, a thick layer of relativelycompressible material integral with and supporting said wall, and agroove in said compressible material extending transversely of theshoe-engaging wall, said groove being located substantially opposite-theball line of a shoe operatively positioned on the pad.

5. A pad for use in applying pressure to shoe bottoms comprising aresilient member having a hard but somewhat flexible shoe-engaging walloverlying relatively yieldable resilient material integral with saidwall, said yieldable material having formed therein a peripheral grooveapproximating in outline the shape of the bottom of the largest shoewhich can be operated upon, said, yieldable material also having agroove extendingtransversely of the shoe-engaging wall and arranged tounderlie the ball line of a shoe operatively positioned on the pad.

6. A pad for use: in applying pressure to shoe bottoms comprising aresilient member having a substantially non-compressible shoe-engagingsurface capable of some flection under pressure, relatively softresilient material approximating in outline the periphery of a largeshoe supporting the central portion of said surface, resilient materialharder than said soft resilient material but softer than saidshoe-engaging surface supporting the marginal portion of said surface, agroove separating the soft resilient material from theharder resilientmaterial, and a readily removable layer of flexible material attached tosaid soft resilient material.

7. A pad for usev in applying pressure to shoe bottoms comprising aresilient member having a relatively non-compressible but somewhatflexible shoe-engaging wall composed of a plurality of alternate layersof hard rubber and fabric material, relatively soft rubber integral withand underlying the central portion of said wall, said soft rubberapproximating in outline the periphcry of the largest shoe to beoperated on, harder rubber reinforced with fabric material integral withand supporting the marginal portion of said wall, a relatively deepgroove between the soft rubber and the harder rubber, and a groove:extending transversely of the pad at approximately the ball line of ashoe operatively positioned thereon.

8. A pad for use in applying pressure to shoe bottoms comprising aresilient member provided with a relatively hard shoe-receiving sulrfacecapable of bending somewhat under pressure, materials of differentresiliency supporting different portions of said surface and eachmaterial being capable of yielding under pressure an amount differentfrom the yielding capacities of the materials supporting the otherportions, and a cover for said surface comprising a thin layer offlexible material.

9. A pad for use in applying pressure to shoe bottoms comprising aresilient member having a shoe-engaging wall composed of an outer layerof hard material capable of flexing somewhat under pressure and an innerlayer of softer ma.- terial capable of yielding under pressure, saidwall being supported inwardly of its margin by resilient material moreyieldable than said inner layer, and being supported at said margin byrelatively hard resilient material.

10. A pad for use in applying pressure to shoe bottoms comprising aresilient member having a shoe-engaging wall composed of an outer layerof hard material capable of flexing somewhat under pressure and an innerlayer of relatively soft resilient material capable of yielding underpressure, said wall being supported inwardly of its margin by resilientmaterial more yieldable than said inner layer, and being supported atsaid margin by relatively hard resilient material, said supportingmaterials being separated from each other by a groove.

11. A pad for use in applying pressure to shoe bottoms comprising aresilient member having a shoe-engaging wall composed of a thin outerlayer of relatively hard material capable of flexing under pressure anda relatively thick inner layer of resilient material softer than saidouter layer and capable of yielding somewhat under pressure, said wallbeing supported'inwardly of its marginal portionby integral resilientmaterial s'ofter than. said inner layer and capable of yieldingsubstantially under pressure, and being supported at said marginalportion byresilient material integral with said portion and softerthansaid outer layer but harder than said inner layer and the resilientmaterial inwardly of said marginal portion.

12. A pad for use in applying pressure to shoe bottoms comprising aresilient member having a shoe-engaging wall composed of a hard outerlay er capable of flexing somewhat without compressing under pressureand an integral resilient inner layer capable of yielding underpressure, said wall being supported inwardly of its marginal' portion bysoft resilient material integral therewith and more yieldable than saidinner layer,

and being supported at said marginal portion by relatively hardresilient material integral therewith and yieldable only undersubstantial pressure,"said pad having a groove extending between saidsoft resilient material and said hard material; and having anothergroove extending through said, materials transversely of the pad andarranged 'to underlie the ball'line of a shoe operatively positionedthereon.

13. A pad for use in applying pressure to shoe bottoms comprising aresilient member having a shoe-engaging wall composed of an outer layerof relatively hard material capable of flexing somewhat under pressureand a relatively thick inner layer of resilient material softer thansaid outer layer, said wall being supported at the forward portion ofthe pad by a relatively soft layer of resilient material overlying arelatively hard layer of resilient material, and being supported at therear portion of the pad by relatively soft resilient material extendingonly to the margin of said portion and by relatively hard resilientmaterial at said margin.

14. A pad for use in applying pressure to shoe bottoms comprising aresilient member having a shoe-engaging wall composed of an outer layerof relatively hard material capable of flexing somewhat under pressureand an inner layer of relatively thick resilient material softer thansaid outer layer and capable of yielding somewhat under pressure, saidwall being supported inwardly of the margins of its intermediate andrear portions by resilient material softer than said inner layer andbeing supported at said margins by resilient material harder than saidinner layer but softer than said outer layer, the forward portion ofsaid wall being supported by a continuous layer of resilient materialsofter than said inner layer overlying another continuous layer ofresilient material which is substantially as hard as the materialsupporting the margins of the intermediate and rear portions of theshoe-engaging wall.

15. A pad for use in applying pressure to shoe bottoms comprising aresilient member having a shoe-engaging wall composed of an outer layerof relatively hard material capable of flexing somewhat under pressureand a relatively thick inner layer of material yieldable under pressure,the forward portion of said wall rearwardly to about the tip line of ashoe operatively positioned thereon being supported by a relativelythick layer of soft resilient material more yieldable than said innerlayer overlying a similar layer of resilient material considerablyharder than said inner layer, the marginal portion of said wallrearwardly of said tip line being supported by relatively hard resilientmaterial and said wall being supported inwardly of said marginal portionby relatively soft resilient material, the two lastnamed supportingmaterials being separated by grooves extending lengthwise of the pad andterminating at the tip line.

16. A pad for use in applying pressure to shoe bottoms comprising aresilient member having a shoe-engaging wall composed of an outer layerof hard material capable of flexing somewhat under pressure and arelatively thick inner layer of material yieldable under pressure, theforward portion of said wall rearwardly to about the tip line of a shoeoperatively positioned thereon being supported by a relatively thicklayer of soft resilient material more yieldable than said inner layeroverlying a similar layer of resilient material considerably harder thansaid inner layer, the marginal portion of said wall rearwardly of saidtip line being supported by relatively hard resilient material and saidwall being supported inwardly of said marginal portion by relativelysoft resilient material, said last-named materials being separated bylongitudinal grooves sepa? rated by a distance approximately equal tothe Width of the largest shoe to be operated on and terminatingapproximately at said tip line.

1'7. A pad for use in applying pressure to shoe bottoms comprising aresilient member having a shoe-engaging wall composed of a hard outerlayer of relatively non-compressible material capable of bendingsomewhat under pressure and a relatively thick inner layer of softresilient material, said wall being supported for substantially the fullwidth of its forward portion rearwardly to about the tip line of a shoeoperatively positioned thereon by a thick continuous layer of resilientmaterial softer than said inner layer and overlying a relatively hardcontinuous layer of resilient material of substantially the samethickness, said wall being supported rearwardly of said tip line by hardresilient material at its margins and by soft resilient materialinwardly of its margins, the two last-named materials being separated bygrooves extending lengthwise of the pad and terminating at the tip line,said materials being also provided with grooves extending transverselyof the pad substantially at the tip line and the ball line of a shoeoperatively positioned thereon.

FRANK R. MERRITT.

